In conjunction with the convening of the preparatory conference for the UN 2019 Climate Summit (COP 25 in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) announced today that Dubai carbon emissions have decreased significantly despite the Emirate continuous growth and development. The net CO2 emissions of the Emirate of Dubai have achieved an astounding 19% reduction when compared to the business as usual (BAU) scenario and 10% below the Carbon abatement strategy 2021 target to reduce the carbon emissions by 16% by 2021. The trend has taken a downward facing trajectory despite the Emirate’s ambitious growth currently in place.
The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) has been monitoring the Emirate’s carbon emission since 2011 with great level of details though the United Nations’ MRV methodology (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification). This detailed data-centric platform has allowed Dubai decision makers to streamline their strategy and was pivotal to other initiatives and projects such as The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the Green Fund, the World Green Economy Organization( WGEO), Shams Dubai and Electric Vehicles initiatives to name a few.
Dubai, under the DSCE coordinated efforts, has been pursuing long term strategic plans to reduce its CO2 emissions. The initial efforts of the Carbon Abatement Strategy targeted efficiency thus ensuring that the Emirate’s infrastructure was capable of providing its green credentials alongside the ambitious growth.
Data for the past few years have recorded a decline in the per capita annual consumption of electricity and water in Dubai, where per capita annual consumption of electricity has fallen from 13626 kwh in 2015 to 11731 kwh in 2018 and is expected to reach 10538 kwh by 2025. Annual per capita consumption of water has decreased from 38554 IG to 33565 IG in 2018 and is expected to reach 28455 IG in 2025.
The UAE recorded an improvement of 60% bringing the per capita emissions to 15.7tCO2 in the last MRV compiled, well below the US ranking of 16.5tCO2 per capita.
“We are honored by these results as we strive to achieve the vision of our wise leadership. Dubai has taken early steps to conserve natural resources, increase the contribution of clean energy, and implement green development plans, consistent with our strategies at the federal and local levels, including UAE Centennial 2071, and UAE Vision 2021. Dubai has been a pioneer in the implementation of programmes and initiatives that contribute to reducing the carbon footprint and its pursuit of a greener future is proving its validity,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.
“The combined efforts under the collaborative platform of the DSCE have exceeded the targets of the green economy drive and established new best practices in the region and globally,” Al Tayer added.
The 2018 Demand Side Management Strategy (DSM) report shows another year of positive results from the implementation of the strategy; Dubai has successfully cut down electricity and water consumption by 9.9% and 5.5% respectively, compared to normal consumption rates. The 4.5 TWh of electricity and 6.7 billion imperial gallons of desalinated water saved during the past year, added to the savings from previous years, has not only brought environmental benefits to the emirate, but also economical ones. Reduced demand in electricity and water, has resulted in AED 5.1 billion in avoided generation costs, that can be used in other strategic investments that promote economic growth.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA )conservation programmes and initiatives over the past 10 years have achieved significant savings in electricity and water use within all stakeholder groups. Cumulative savings between 2009 and 2018 reached two terrawatthours (TWh) of electricity and 7.4 billion gallons of water, equivalent to a total saving of AED 1.2 billion. These savings were achieved in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors as well as in educational facilities, governmental and semi-governmental organisations have contributed to reducing one million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Eng. Waleed Salman, Chairman of Dubai Carbon stated “”Our Center is working to enhance the green economy efforts through data collection and we have achieved successes by finding models for low-carbon projects and initiatives, such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and the numerous efficiency strategies.”
The MRV data infographics is expected to be publicly released during the upcoming World Green Economy Summit taking place in October this year.